Day 14 - Let the Sunshine In

we had booked a tour to the isle of capri, but it was weather pending, so we woke up planning on the tour.

i woke up about 7 am and checked outside.  it was raining with an ominous sky.  i just said a quick prayer asking for good weather when we needed it and went back to sleep.  When we down to check on the tour, they informed us it was cancelled, but that we could go on our own.  I was looking forward to someone else making decisions and i would just follow, but it was not to be so off we went.

train to sorrento, ferry to the isle of capri.  Just a side note.  i checked the weather forecast multilple time last night and this morning and it said rain all day, so we packed for rain and was thankful for the sunshine at the moment.

the ferry was very full and we did not get a seat but this time i was glad.  we stood at the rail looking out over the deep blue sea and taking in the coast line far away.  The sun was shining on us with the wind blowing sea mist in our faces, AHHHHHHHHH

We landed into a busy port and didn't know what to do next.  I did read about accepting boat tours of the island with guys offering their services at the dock and there were a few of them.  we wandered over to a ticket office for a boat tour which took us to the Grotto Azzure (blue grotto).  so we decided to go.  it took us around the entire island and we saw capri from the water.  What an amazing site of rock formation!!!! with homes tucked away all over.   when cory was in new zealand, he had all these pictures of mountains and after awhile, it was boring to look at them, but he explained why he took them.  he was trying to capture the magnificance of the sights but they couldn't capture it and now i can see what he was trying to capture.  *full sun at this point*

our first stop was grotto azzure.  what a fun adventure.  as our large boat pulled up to the area, all these small row boats (4 X 8)approached each with a "captain".  only 4 to a boat and we had to sit on the floor of the boat.  the entrance to the grotto ( a cave about 1/2 the size of a football field) ranged between 3 feet high and 6 feet high depending on the tide and about 3 -8 feet wide.  only one boat in/out at a time.  so we waited our turn.  it was fun to listen to the captains conversing with each other even though we couldn't understand, however their voice inflections gave you a hit to the intensity of their discussions.  finally it was our turn.  our captain tells us to lay down, meaning our heads could not be higher than the sides of the boat.  so here we are watching the tide take the opening from 3 to 6 feet, waiting for the exact moment when our captain propells us in through the opening.  what fun it was just experiencing that.  we made it in and what a sight to see.  the natural creation of this grotto allows the sun light to enter at such an angle that the water inside the grotto is BRIGHT MARY BLUE.  it looks as if lights are in the bottom and illuminating the water.  The entire experience was one of the most moving ones of the trip.  We tried getting pictures, but the grotto was dark with th exception of the illluminated water so i a not sure how they came out.

out we went the same way we came in, back to the boat and around the island we went.  *full sunshine* one incredible formation after another.  our boat captain was very skilled and backed us into the red grotto.  the back of the boat was about 10 meters from the rock formation creating a small inlet.  as the tide lowered you could see all the red coral on the rocks.  it was beautiful.  red coral is all over in the shops around here and now i know why.  we continued around the 'ocean side of the island' and the water was rough.  up high and down for about 10 minutes, but our captain assured us even though the nickname of his ship was the titanic, he wouldn't let us sink.  there were beautiful mansions built high in the mountains, Armani and Gerber(baby stuff) to name a few.  they looked big, but drawfed compared to the magnitude of the mountain if that makes sense.

the ride ended and my dad told me not to miss going to he top of the island.  we looked all over for a way to the top because we wanted to have lunch up there, but found nothing.  Christy, there was no skylift anywhere that we could find.  so we opted to grab a sandwich and relax on the beach for awhile *full sunshine*.  beaches around here are not sand but smooth rock about tennis ball size.  actually it felt good to lay on the warm rocks and making a clearing for your protruding body parts, rear end mainly.  it was so relaxing, unlike the "sight seeing" we have been doing.

as the sun started dropping below the mountain, yes it is still full sun, we left our respite and headed back to town.  the day turned out PERFECT, full sun, 75-80 degrees, island breeze and we saw another amazing part of creation.

our hostel serves dinner, so we had dinner here, simple, cheap and of course always delish.

love ya,

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